Dodsworth in Rome

Tim Egan

Book - 2011

Dodsworth and his duck companion have a lovely time in Rome, even though the duck tries to improve the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and takes all the coins from the Trevi Fountain.

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jREADER/Egan, Tim
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Readers (Publications)
Published
Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2011.
Language
English
Main Author
Tim Egan (-)
Physical Description
unpaged : col. ill. ; 24 cm
ISBN
9780547390062
  • The eternal city
  • The Sistine Chapel
  • The flea market
  • Arrivederci.
Review by School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2-Dodsworth and his irrepressible travel companion, the duck, continue their world tour. In Rome, they see all the sights for which the Eternal City is famous, including the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon. Dodsworth has his hands full as his friend tries to paint a duck on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, enters a pizza-throwing contest, and takes coins out of that fountain, but he manages to make everything right in the end. This early reader is divided into four short chapters, each containing a mini adventure written in short sentences of fairly simple words. Egan includes a few terms to stretch readers' vocabulary, but their meanings are mostly discernible from the context and from the pictures. The format is the same as in the other Dodsworth books, with one picture and about six lines of large-font text per page. The illustrations are simple cartoons in ink and watercolor washes, and the famous landmarks are recognizable but not detailed. Although the story is mildly amusing, it is fans of the earlier adventures or children who have a special interest in Rome who are most likely to enjoy it. For others it is of secondary interest.-Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

If you ask the duck, Dodsworth's capricious travel companion for all four Dodsworth books, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is a flawed masterpiece. But that's nothing a dab of white paint won't fix. Though Dodsworth does manage to stop his friend from adding waterfowl to Michelangelo's magnum opus, he can never prevent all the duck's mischief, and Egan's fans wouldn't want him to. Touring one of the world's great cities (New York, Paris, and London in previous volumes) is always a satisfyingly unpredictable experience with this droll duo. The witty, understated ink-and-watercolor illustrations once again take in the sights -- the Coliseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain -- all of which the duck misses because he's busy holding on for dear life, eyes squinched shut, on the back of Dodsworth's scooter. As usual, the pair's back-and-forth is priceless, as when, strolling around a flea market, "Dodsworth yelled, 'Duck! My suitcase is gone!' / 'I bet the fleas took it!' shouted the duck. / 'There are no fleas!' yelled Dodsworth. 'But we have to find it!'" And find it they do in their own unique, roundabout, duck-delayed fashion. christine m. heppermann (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Egan's understated, hilarious travelogue continues as Dodsworth and his duck pal explore Rome, Italy. The duckstill wearing an acorn beret from Paris (Dodsworth in Paris, 2008)is the motor for most of the laughs. Standing beside colossal columns inSt. Peter's Square, he comments dryly, "I feel smaller than usual." Inside the Sistine Chapel, he notes placidly, "That's weird.... There isn't one duck in the entire painting." Moments later, he's on the ceiling with white paint, remedying that omission. Ink-and-watercolor illustrations employ tiny smiles and minimalist expressions to underscore the humor. In a pizza-throwing contest ("You're good at throwing food," comments Dodsworth, and indeed, the duck throws things in every city), the duck sneaks Dodsworth's suitcase behind a table to stand on, never telling Dodsworth. A chaotic search for the suitcase yields nothing, and without the cash inside it, Dodsworth can't afford a hotel. They doze overnight on the Spanish Steps. Next day, they dine heartily on found moneyuntil honest Dodsworth discovers that the duck "found" the coins in the Trevi Fountain. Is the duck a descendent of Amelia Bedelia, innocently believing that a flea market contains fleas and that "Rome" means to roam around? Or is he slyly "mak[ing] the trip a little more exciting?" Deadpan delivery means there's no way to tell, and that's the brilliance of the duck. May the journey continue. (Early reader. 5-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.